One large problem in any area is poverty. Because of the shrinking manufacturing industry in the midwest, the poverty rate is often higher here than across the nation. The poverty rate in Columbus is less affected by shrinking manufacturing jobs because that industry is not as large here. In fact, Columbus has the lowest poverty rate in Ohio of cities in the Brookings report. However, the number is still 23.9%, and poverty is still an issue here. Three Ohio cities, Cleveland, Toledo, and Cincinnati, all rank in the top five cities for lowest income bracket.
The current governor, John Kasich, has a plan in Ohio for how to help those in poverty, and it starts with the youth. He specifically wants to target teens and young adults, aged 16 to 24. A large reason why people can’t get jobs is that they can’t pass drug tests, and education is the beginning to fixing this and other poverty-related issues. The main goal of this initiative will be to increase economic independence in the young people of Ohio, specifically those who aren’t going to college and/ or did not receive a high school diploma.
One of the largest issues with poverty is that it is a reoccurring cycle where the fact that one is already in poverty prevents one from succeeding in things such as obtaining a job or providing healthy food and spaces for them and their families. Kasich believes that economic independence is the beginning to breaking this cycle. He wants to remove barriers to success and give people a possibility of stability, and caseworkers will be assigned to smaller groups of people than in the past to complete this.
Sources:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/04/15/povertys-end-costly-goal-study-finds.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/06/16/columbus-has-lowest-concentration-of-poverty-among.html
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/12/27/Americas-Best-Kept-Secret-Rising-Suburban-Poverty